About Us

SDRC-NEPAL

Photo Credit: Suresh Sharma, Doti District, Nepal. June 2017.

INTRODUCTION

About SDRC-Nepal

Sustainable Development and Research Centre-Nepal (SDRC- Nepal) is a non-governmental, apolitical, and not-for-profit organisation, committed to social development, community welfare, and sustainable natural resource management. We make transformation of people’s lives through institutional innovation and broader participation. Our organization aims to help communities become self-reliant through judicious and lasting use of their resources.

SDRC-Nepal has been established in 2006 by a group of intellectually curious, technologically well-informed, and visionary individuals, with a high moral compass for equality and justice. Our members strongly believe and promote social harmony, racial equity, humanitarian values and mutual co-existence to enable a sustainable future for all. The members of our network are involved in and motivated to enhance social capital formation, build community trust, uplift people from poverty, and promote socio-economic development by narrowing the rural-urban divide. Our members strive for excellence through their endeavours by prioritizing resources and efforts toward peoples’ empowerment while protecting biodiversity, conserving resources, and enhancing sustainable livelihoods.

Our organization is deeply committed to protecting nature and the living biosphere, alongside its vital resources through regenerative agriculture and environmental management activities. We equally engage with other development stakeholders and actors through joint ventures and partnerships. SDRC-Nepal members hold a long record of contribution in various fields and development issues of national and international significance and have therefore left a legacy of achievements and societal contributions in community development for over 30 years.

SDRC-Nepal is officially registered with the District Administration Office, Kathmandu and the Social Welfare Council of Nepal making it a well recognized legal and trustworthy entity. Our organization focus on the overall development of Nepal and South Asia while we embrace and advocate for global sharing of knowledge and resources. We welcome international partnership and collaboration worldwide with research and development institutions and organizations for a win-win solution.

Our broader goals envision societal wellbeing through sustainability thinking and joint action. Our objective is to improve the quality of life for ordinary citizens by remaining within the planetary boundary and environmental threshold. Our mission is to drive innovation and imbue hope in peoples’ lives through fostering livelihood opportunities from sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship, while helping communities become effective partners in environmental conservation and development. Our prominent activities include training local groups, building collaboration through teamwork, while empowering and enhancing peoples’ lives through various programs and community mobilization.

VISION STATMENT

To create thriving, self-reliant communities across Nepal and South Asia where marginalized populations achieve prosperity through sustainable resource management and environmental conservation, fostering social equity and harmony for future generations.

MISSION STATEMENT

SDRC-Nepal is strongly driven by our mission to empower rural communities through institutional innovation, capacity building, and sustainable resource management by supporting local organizations, promoting indigenous knowledge, and facilitating comprehensive development programs that strengthen livelihoods and social capital.

GOALS

Primary Goal:

Alleviate poverty and empower people for self-reliance while protecting their rights and dignity through sustainable common pool resource management and enhanced social equity.

Supporting Goals:

Transform marginalized communities into economically viable and environmentally conscious societies
Bridge the rural-urban divide through targeted development interventions
Preserve biodiversity while enhancing sustainable livelihoods
Foster social cohesion and reduce community conflicts

OBJECTIVES

To achieve its goals, SDRC-Nepal is determined to pursue the following key objectives:

Community Empowerment and Resource Management

Assemble local knowledge, innate skills, experience, ability and know-how
Work for community development through better use of local resources, especially common pool resources
Organize and empower communities through enhanced social capital, physical capital and human capital for improving livelihoods
Help rural communities make ecologically sound use of local resources
Foster ecological resilience and climate-change mitigation tools

Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation

Provide support for group interdependency and economic empowerment of the poor
Support disadvantaged and marginal ethnic groups to flourish their income
Support local people by increasing economic activity to improve their livelihood
Provide technical support for income generating activities

Social Development and Governance

Support development of local people’s organizations with good governance
Help people become self-reliant and know their roles and rights
Support active participation of women and vulnerable groups in development
Help reduce conflict within and between communities

Capacity Building and Awareness

Increase awareness for health and sanitation, community forest management, and opportunities for new income generation activities
Organize basic literacy programmes and non-formal education
Conduct advocacy programs covering legal and constitutional rights
Facilitate gender and social equity in development

Partnership and Coordination

Establish linkage and coordination among local, national, international and other partners for effective community development
Strengthen civil society and promote traditional cultural organizations
Integrate scientific knowledge with indigenous knowledge for sustainable development

ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERTISE

SDRC-Nepal possesses a wide array of expertise across multiple development sectors, owing to the multi-faceted experience and high academic qualification of its members, enabling it to address diverse community needs effectively:

Research and Development

Research, monitoring and evaluation
Project proposal preparation and report writing
Participatory Rural Appraisal
Management plan preparation
Livelihood Improvement Plan preparation

Natural Resource Management

Community forest management
Ecology, regenerative agriculture, and bioengineering
Non-timber forest product management
Watershed management programmes
Natural resource economics

Social Development

Sociology and anthropological research interventions
Group formation and management
Leadership development
Women empowerment and social equity
Gender issue analysis

Education and Capacity Building

Non-formal education programme management
Organizing training workshops, seminars and conferences
Human resource and leadership development
Train trainers in use of forest resources and agricultural biomass
Provide policy and technical expertise in agroforestry and conservation of natural resources

Technical Services

Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis, such as field survey, research design, and implementation
Provide expertise in bio-gas installation, solar power in agricultural production and design of small-scale irrigation systems management
Income generation activities through small scale agricultural entrepreneurship
Alternative energy sources and appropriate technologies for resource conservation

Specialized Support Services:

Health, nutrition and sanitation
Child rights advocacy
Landslide and earthquake victim support
Social safety nets for vulnerable groups
Post conflict rehabilitation
Rural development project implementation
Impact assessment and evaluation
Policy formulation and advocacy

Administrative and Management Services

Finance and administrative management
Administrative and financial management services for social and user groups
Networking of users at the VDC level
Maintaining links with other NGOs and government line agencies

The level of comprehensive expertise in a wider spectrum of areas enables SDRC-Nepal to serve as both an implementing organization and consultant, providing holistic support for sustainable community development across Nepal and South Asia including some of the remote and marginalized areas in the region.